1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to fasteners used in construction and, more particularly, to clips facilitating attachment of sheet material to structural members.
2. Background Art
During construction of various commercial and residential buildings, a sheet material, such as sheet rock, must be secured to steel structural members. The existing practice is a rather involved procedure and dictates that a frame be built around each steel structural member. The frame typically comprises a plurality of steel studs that need to be secured to the structural member and plumbed with respect to each other. The sheet rock and other construction materials, such as insulation or fire protective material, are then attached to the frame. The current procedure is not only labor intensive resulting in high labor costs, but also requires large quantities of expensive material for erecting the frames.
One alternative to existing practice was disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,815 entitled "PLASTERBOARD TO COLUMN CLIP" and issued to Parker. The patent teaches a clip having a box with rectangular cross-section and a flap. The box provides attaching surfaces for screws and the flap fits onto a respective flange of an I-beam. The clip recited in the Parker patent accommodates only a particular size of the I-beam flange or like structural member. However, in the building industry, I-beams and like structural members are provided with a variety of flange thicknesses. In order for the clip of the Parker patent to accommodate these various flange thicknesses, clips with different corresponding dimensions must be used. This is not a practical alternative to the existing practice for a number of reasons. First, clips of various sizes would need to be manufactured and/or purchased and accounted. Second, the proper sized clips would have to be matched to the structural members of the corresponding size. Third, the clips disclosed in the above-identified patent cannot be used with I-beam flanges that are substantially thinner than the span between the flap and the body. As a result of these drawbacks, the clips have not gained popularity in the construction industry.